The Risen Woman
The Risen Woman!
Africa needs the risen woman. For centuries, we have talked about rising. This generation must discuss the risen woman. This is the woman who has been able to rise above stereotypes and created a space for herself and her society. This is the woman who has been able to brush off distractions about her ability to lead and see herself as truly befitting and important in a balanced society. But it is not often that one person stands up easily and conquers these distractions alone. What can enable a win would be the collective vigilante of male and female citizens to make their world a better place – to raise the risen woman.
“There is no force powerful than a woman who is determined to rise”, well, the truth is that winning starts from the heart and it is a spark of energy but such fire could be quenched by the wrong environment. We have bought into this narrative for a long time. And as sweet as it may sound, the truth is that there are everyday forces that antagonize women’s growth, cutting them from reaching the peak of their lives, careers and building a society that would value and benefit them. These forces are usually erected by fellow humans who enact laws, and men have been at the construction sites of these stumbling blocks.
The enemy of a bird that is determined to fly is the clipping of the wings of that bird. At that moment, you turn a creature that is meant to fly into a land animal. You change the destiny of such bird – from viewing the world from the sky to a single ground view. This is what has happened to a lot of women across the world, whether in India, in China or in the countries of Africa. In Nigeria, women have been encouraged to go to school and graduate top of their class, but the demons at work places still exploit these women before they are given jobs or places to practice all they studied.
No society would function in the face of such challenges that push it into extinction. The challenges facing women in our world is such that is driving them into mental enslavement, to believe that they are not good enough. They are first seen for what their bodies offer, and not what their strength and their brain can afford the society. If a woman is less beautiful, and she is smart and talented, she is likely going to be jobless, against her colleague who is stunning and gorgeous but who is unable to be productive.
Men who have occupied leadership positions have done it solely because they are in the decision making circle. And not because they are best fit for the job. Women are relegated to the background, as assistants, as deputies because they may never get the vote or the men who have the resources have bought all the favors and have left them stranded.
The libration every woman deserves is a fair society where the woman is trained and given full operational access to her society as her male counterpart. It should be her decision to reject a job. The job should not be denied her because she is a woman. No one should be disqualified based on assumptions. The test that would determine who gets hired should not favor one gender against the other. We must try to consciously eliminate barriers that stifle women.
As a construction company, we have done our best in this area of shattering gender bias. Our team is made up of strong and brilliant women who are able to work independently. They have not been hired simply because they are women. They were hired based on their track records and power of their expertise. This is what we need, to hire people and give them opportunities based on their strength and not how we can exploit them.
A lot of women would not suffer depression and physical inadequacies if we provided them conditions at work that says they are seen. When a woman has cramp, it should not be a thing that makes anyone see her as weak. A system should be created where she feels safe and protected. When she expresses her burden, it should be considered as important as others, not treated with derision.
Happy International Women’s Day!
